Olympus E-PL1 vs Panasonic GH2

Panasonic GH2 advantages over Olympus E-PL1

• Eye-level viewfinder
  Eye-level vs Rear display only
  You'll be able to frame photos even when the sun is out
• Tiltable Screen
  Tiltable vs Fixed
  Tilt the screen for shooting flexbility
• Fast startup
  ~1.10 vs 2.2 sec
  Faster startup lets you catch the moment
• Higher effective ISO

  Higher effective ISO

  Maximum effective ISO is an estimate of the highest sensitivity at which a camera can capture excellent quality photos.

  Cameras with higher effective ISO will be better choices for indoor photography, night shooting, and indoor sports photography, especially if you intend to make large prints.

  You can learn more at our glossary entry.

  Maximum effective ISO test data courtesy of DxO Mark.

  GH2 test data on DxO Mark E-PL1 test data on DxO Mark
  655 vs 487 iso
  Take photos in low light with less noise
• More dynamic range

  More dynamic range

  Cameras with more dynamic range allow you to take photos with dramatic differences in highlight and shadow areas while retaining detail in both.

  Think of a brilliant sunset on a rocky beach: Bright sunset in the background, with dark rocks in the foreground. High dynamic range means more of the extremes will be faithfully reproduced.

  Dynamic range test data courtesy of DxO Mark.

  GH2 test data on DxO Mark E-PL1 test data on DxO Mark
  11.3 vs 10.1 evs
  Retain detail in highlight and shadows
• More telephoto lens reach
  280 mm vs 84 mm
  Capture objects farther away with the kit lens
• Shoots 24p video
  Yes vs No
  Gives your movies a big-screen feel
• More dots on screen
  460k vs 230k dots
  Can mean greater resolution or a brighter screen
• Shoots 1080p video
  Yes vs No
  You'll want this if you shoot video
• Less shutter lag
  0.27 vs 0.95 sec
  Focus and take a photo quickly (wide angle)
• More pixels
  16.1 vs 12.3 megapixels
  Higher resolution photos
• Shoots 60p video
  Yes vs No
  A faster framerate can give you more editing options
• Faster JPEG shooting
  3.7 fps vs 3.0 fps
  Faster JPEG shooting (burst mode)
• Faster shutter
  1/4000 vs 1/2000 sec
  Shoot wide open in bright light
• Higher extended ISO
  12800 vs 3200 ISO
  Higher extended ISO can give more low-light flexibility